The 2025 Daytona 500 was truly special for Dale Earnhardt Jr. It was the 24th death anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Sr. since he tragically passed away in the 2001 Daytona crash. That may be one of the darkest days of NASCAR but a lot of good has come from it. We got the SAFER barriers and no fatal accidents have happened in the Cup series since then. But for Dale Jr, it was special for many more reasons.

First, on every Daytona 500, the whole world remembers Sr, the Earnhardt legacy, and his immense contributions to the sport. Must make Junior proud to be his son. Second, this was also the JR Motorsports’ Cup debut. 2024 Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier drove JRM’s #40 ride. And he drove it well…he got a P9, that’s got Junior pumped. Who knows…we might see a full-time JRM Cup ride. But there’s a third reason why it was special and this one might easily top the previous two.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings his father’s home

It’s no surprise that when Dale Earnhardt Sr. drove a race, everyone knew he was a force to reckon with. Severn champions in proof enough! But one wasn’t just the ‘Intimidator’s’ fan for the stats. It was that whole aura that packed grandstands with people wearing a shirt that read, “Real men wear Black and Silver.” The #3 Goodwrench’s Black and Silver car was the symbol of dominance. If a driver saw it coming in the rearview mirror, they knew it’s gonna be a battle! And recently Junior has been gifted one of those black and silver cars.

This was a car that belonged to a die-hard Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan. However, sadly, he passed away and the #3 was probably one of his most prized possessions. Usually, people would have named it to one of their heirs. But not this guy. He willed it to Dale Jr. To be fair, that’s where the car belongs with an Earnhardt. The gift had Junior surprised, but he could not wait to share this story with the fans.

On the recent episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast, he said, “I had a surprise today. There was a gentleman that owned a race car that was an RCR Dale Earnhardt car from the 90s. And he passed away and he wheeled it to me. And the car is here today for the very first time. So I am very thankful for that what an incredible surprise. It was the RCR car that still has the original orange interior.” Must have brought back memories for Junior- Some good (76 cup wins) and obviously some from the night of 18th Feb 2001. It was a similar-looking car back then when Senior crashed.

And we know how big of a historian Dale Earnhardt Jr. is! Started a whole show called ‘Lost Speedways.’ So we know he’s itching to know the details of the car and which races it ran. The plan is to ring up Richard Childress. “Dad races it somewhere I’ll call RCR… I’ll ask them about when they sold this car to this person. They should have the numbers on that car and the chassis and the information. on what races that chassis ran for dad,” Dale Jr added.

To a fan, after seeing this post it felt like, “Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings dad home.” Also, some fans have already started the search before Junior calls Richard. The fans think based on the sponsor stickers (like Mac Tools) on the car…it seems to be from the early 90s. If that’s really true, this car is a collector’s item. This was the time Dale Sr. won four championships. Twice in a row (1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994).

Anyway, let’s leave it to Junior to get to the bottom of it. But meanwhile, there is another reason why this car is special (strangely).

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The car was ‘meant to be’ for Dale Jr

Dale Sr. did not like to race with the original hood of the Chevy Monte Carlo. One such hood was lying in Dale Jr.’s uncle’s garage. And in the memory of his father, Junior thought of taking it with him to his own garage. Now folks, in a crazy full-circle moment, the car that the fan has given him also doesn’t have the original hood. So it was almost like it was meant to be! The hood may have pulled the car in.

Jokes apart, Junior also found this connection a bit odd, “When they bought the car they took the original hood off. It’s the way dad raced it the last time he drove it. It stayed in the rafters of my uncle’s garage for 40 years and they my uncle was selling all his stuff and I went over there and got this hood and now this car comes into my life. Where this hood originally originated from just weird right? Anyway, pretty neat story.”

And Dale Jr. must have a lot of things to remember Senior by. But this one is truly special. We think Dale Earnhardt should now start an exhibit in his house with epic Earnhardt Sr. artifacts he’s gotten from fans. The car can join the Dale Sr. firesuit he got in 2015. Sharing the story Junior had said, “The guy bought it on eBay and just walked up to me and handed it to me. He said he thought I should have it. I thought it was very nice. Very cool.” 

This was the suit the Intimidator wore in the now-defunct IROC (International Race of Champions). If you recall, the race was on the Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 16, 2001. Just two days later, the tragedy happened. So this was actually one of the last suits Dale Earnhardt Sr. wore. And Junior (he claims) had previously also gotten another fire suit of his dad’s from a fan. So there…we already have three items to put on display in the exhibit. There might be more, who knows!

Anyway, what do you think about the fan’s gift? Which years do you think that car ran in? Let’s make this a guessing game. Share your guess with us in the comments below.